Continuing the train of Scottish indie bands who strive to retain some alt-rock cred while secretly wanting to sound like U2, Take Tonight are a Glaswegian band who have recently released their debut EP Lanterns.
Opener ‘Chasing the Sun’ is built of the sort-of masculine sentimentality and barrel-chested mid-tempo rock dynamics as Twin Atlantic, plus, of course, an outro riff that cribs from ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ and you’re initially worried that the whole venture might sink beneath the weight of the sincere but predictable lyrics.
Fortunately, from the infinitely better ‘Hang Tight’ onwards, Take Tonight inject some much needed passion, delivering potent melodies with the foot to the floor verve of The Gaslight Anthem on a Highland fling.
Song titles like ‘Light Me Up’ and ‘Picking Up the Pieces’ might be a tad trite but there’s plenty of soul in the frontman’s vocals and the choruses are undeniably catchy, plowing a brit-rock vein familiar to fans of Twin Atlantic or Feeder’s early material.
Take Tonight? Maybe not, but they might just take tomorrow.
Words: Max Sefton
